The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Philippines and Russia require that it gives a mandatory visa clearance to Nigerians intending to travel to their land.
Spokesman for the agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement Wednesday that the publication of the names was necessary in the light of claims that the NDLEA was introducing a levy on travelers.
He stated that the requirement from the eight countries was not new as it had been in existence for 24 years.
“The attention of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has been drawn to some misinformation and misconceptions about a 24-year-old visa clearance policy, which requires Nigerians travelling to some countries to meet certain requirements before getting clearance from the NDLEA.
“The anti-drug law enforcement agency wishes to state as follows: that the policy was not newly created to impose levies on Nigerians travelling abroad but has been in existence for over 24 years.”
“The policy does not apply to all Nigerians seeking to travel overseas but only those travelling to eight countries, usually referred to as ‘source countries’. The countries include Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Philipines and Russia,” he said.
He said the policy was at the behest of the ‘source countries’, and not that of the NDLEA or Nigeria, and was designed as part of global efforts to fight the menace of drug trafficking.
Babafemi further said the requirements for the visa clearance being mischievously circulated on social media are just a part of a three-page document, which provides other detailed information on the policy.
“Nigerians can rest assured that NDLEA remains committed to its core goal of ridding Nigeria of illicit drugs and will not deviate from its constitutionally assigned duties,” he added.
